There have been plenty of questions and conversations about what the Edmonton Oilers are going to do ahead of the Mar. 7 trade deadline, in order to improve the roster. As talented as they are, the recent 5-4-1 run heading into the 4 Nations Face-off break shows that this team still has some cause for concern.
Whether it's a goalie upgrade -- our biggest ask -- a top four defenceman, or some help for the middle six, the Oilers have to do something in less than three weeks. However, this may well include having to move someone from the current roster, to help facilitate bringing an upgrade in.
One of the prime candidates to be moved by the Oilers is Jeff Skinner, who just hasn't performed at the level which was expected of him after signing a one-year, $3 million deal during the offseason. This is a player who averaged 30 goals the past three seasons, but so far has only 10 this season in Edmonton.
Jeff Skinner has not been what the Oilers envisioned
The belief is that Skinner does not fit into the philosophy and game plan the Oilers deploy in Edmonton. This has resulted in him being moved out of the top six at the beginning of the season, to the bottom six - which has included time on the fourth line.
In addition, the 32-year-old has also been a healthy scratch on six occasions this season, which isn't exactly an endorsement for him. Of particular note is the timing of these healthy scratches, with them all coming since Dec. 29 and leading some to conclude this is a precursor to him being traded.
However, this isn't as straight forward as you would hope, with Skinner's contract holding a no-movement clause. This leads to the obvious question of if he will be asked to waive his no-movement clause, in order to help facilitate a trade?
Oilers GM Stan Bowman gives his verdict on Jeff Skinner situation
Well, the answer would appear to be no, at least according to what Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said recently, when asked about it in a Q&A with The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman (subscription required). Bowman said:
"I don’t envision that being the case. He’s shown the real willingness to work through things with our group, and I commend him on that. He’s had a really great attitude the entire time."
Bowman went on to commend Skinner's professionalism throughout a trying time, and how the winger is determined to step up and play a bigger role for the team. Although the Oilers general manager did conclude by giving himself a little wriggle room, as he said:
"There are not a lot of games left even though there’s a month till the deadline. I suppose things can always change, but that’s not the focus right now for Jeff."
What about the Oilers' financial position?
One factor which could change the Oilers' stance, is if it becomes clear Evander Kane will be able to return prior to the conclusion of the regular season, thus meaning his $5.125 million which is currently assigned to Long-Term Injured Reserve, would need to be accounted for again. In other words, the organization would only have a projected deadline cap space of $947,825 to use to bring in anyone else.
This is where Skinner and the balance of his $3 million cap hit for this season, could be used as part of a potential trade package. Although this still doesn't get us past whether or not he is prepared to waive his no-movement clause.
The winger holds the unwanted NHL record of the most ever career regular season games without a playoff appearance, in excess of 1,000 games. Assuming he does accept it's time for him and the Oilers to part company, you would assume he will only accept a trade to a team which is well-placed to make the playoffs this season.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how things play out between now and Mar. 7, with the hope being that Skinner still has it in himself to rediscover the player who just two seasons ago had a career-best 82 points. As things stand though, he is on course for a new career-low of 12:29 average ice time per contest, with it now on him to prove he has more left in the tank.
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